Beefing Up, Again: 10 More Actors Who Underwent Remarkable Physical Transformations For Their Roles

Michael Fassbender For Hunger

In a haunting performance, the already slim Michael Fassbender dropped over 40 pounds for 2008’s Hunger in which he played IRA hunger-striker Bobby Sands, a man who believed that self suffering was the best way to convey his message, and eventually starved himself to death.

Fassbender was only about 170 before the weight loss, meaning he was all the way down to 130 for the role. Before accepting the part, he did a two week trial fast, just to see how his body would handle the dramatic change.

Before filming the eerie final act of the film, production shut down for 10 weeks so Fassbender could lose the necessary weight. While 4 pounds a week may not sound like much, just take another look at the picture above. He rented a place near Venice Beach so he could focus on his weight loss. “It was the perfect place because I was just another freak on the beach, power walking.”

His diet during the time was a strict 900 calorie diet consisting mostly of berries, nuts, and a can of sardines, however, after 5 weeks, his weight began to level off, so his food intake was cut even further.

After completing filming, Fassbender was able to gain most of the weight back in a mere 2 weeks, but the dedication to his performance has propelled him into the A-list leading man he is today.